Box of building material.



No. 707,446. Patented Aug. l9, I902.

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BOX OF BUILDING MATERIAL.

(Application filed Sept. 5, 1901-). (No Model.) 4 $heets$haet l.

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(No Model.)

#nzza No. 707,446 Patented Aug. l9, I902.

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BOX OF BUILDING MATERIAL.

(Applicqtion filed Sept. 5, 1901.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

No. 707,446. Patented Aug. 19, I902.

0. NENT BOX OF BUILDING TERIAL.

(Applicatio file Se 1901.

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OTTO NENTl/VIG, OF NEUSTADT, GERMANY.

BOX OF BUILDING MATERIAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,446, dated August 19, 1902 Application filed- September 5, 190 1, $erial No. 74,447. (No modal.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LOTTO Nnnrwron subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at New stadt,in the Province of Silesia,Germany,have invented new and useful Improvements in Toy Building-Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to toy building-blocks, and more especiallyto such with which a complete building having floors and roofs, doors, windows, disc, may be formed.

Heretofore building-blocks were made for the enjoyment and instruction of children, who placed such blocks upon each other to form various structures or figures. The disadvantage with such blocks, even when used in connection with bars in toy structures or figures, is that the latter are liable to fall apart, and making it impossible to move the toy building after being put together.

The object of my invention is to provide blocks which are interlocking, so that when the toy building is put together it may be removed from place to place without danger of its falling apart. In connection with the blocks use is made of T, I, or E bars, which serve to connect such structures properly and to form trusses, girders, &G., and, further, suitable provisions are made on the said bars to hold my improved blocks in their relative positions.

My invention will be more fully understood taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 illustrates a part of a toy building composed of my improved building blocks and bars and having imitation doors and windows. Fig. 2 shows a door to be used in connection with the said blocks. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the said door. Fig. 4is a horizontal section through the same. Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of my improved building-blocks. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the same. Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the same. Fig. 8 is an elevation of a corner-block. Fig. 9 is a top view of the corner-block shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 shows the footing ofa corner-block. Fig. 11 is a plan thereof. Fig. 12 is an elevation of a building block or bar adapted to clamp or hold other blocks together. Fig. 13 is an end view thereof. Fig. 14 is an elevation of a T-' shaped bar. Fig. 15 is an end view thereof. Fig. 16 illustrates the construction of a gableroof. Fig. 17 shows the construction of an arched roof. Fig. 18 showsa hip-roof. Fig. 19 illustrates a block especially adapted for the construction of a roof. Fig. 20 is a 1ongitudinal section thereof. Fig. 21 is a trans verse section thereof. Fig. 22 shows a block adapted to form the hip and rafter of the roof.

Fig. 23 illustrates in elevation a roof-covering block. Fig. 24 is -a side view thereof. Fig. 25 illustrates another form of roof-covering block. Fig. 26 is a side elevation thereof.

Referring now to the drawings fora further description of my invention, and especially to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the improved blocks for toy buildings are of different shapes to form corners, panels, doors, and Windows, the. and may be of any desired material, such as wood or stone, or they may be made of sheet metal pressed into the desired shape, as shown, for instance, in Figs. 5 and 7. These blocks a are generally plate-like, and two or more of their edges are provided with grooves 19 and tongues c. The tongues and grooves are not arranged on the same edges of all the blocks, many blocks having tongues or grooves only on one or two of its edges. The arrangement ofthese grooves and tongues is optional and should be such that in every case when the blocks are put together to form a wall, floor, roof, or other structure the connections of the several blocks with each other will be interlocking, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 8 to 11 are shown corner-blocks, which are also-made of sheet metal, forming tongues 7r, adapted to be engaged by the grooves Z) of the flanges 0 of the buildingblock. on is a splice-plate fitting inside the grooves formed by the tongues k for the purpose of holding the corner-blocks vertically in position. The footing n of the cornerblock is made by bending the lower port-ions outwardly, as shown at o in Fig. 11.

Similarly to the blocks a I provide the doors and windows with grooves and tongues. The door shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 is made of two sheets of metal f and g, which have formed thereon panels, 850. These two sheets are held together on three edges by lap-joints forming tongues 01, and the lower edges are bent outwardly, as shown at j, and a T-shaped strip e is inserted between these two sheets and bent around the projections j to form lap-joints hand t' to hold the sheets together at the bottom.

To hold the top courses of blocks a together, T-shaped strips Z, Figs. 1 1 and 15, fitting the grooves 12 of the blocks a, are provided and applied as shown in Fig. 1, the joints of the blocks a being broken with the joints of the strips Z, and to provide a flat and wide surface on top of the walls so formed and to further stifien the top course of blocks a and strips l channeled bars, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, are slid over the strips Z, and the joints of these strips Z are broken with the joints of the channeled bars. These channeled bars or clamping-strips are also adapted to fit over the tongues o of the blocks a should they be turned as to present the said tongue uppermost. In such case, however, the T-shaped strips Z are dispensed with.

On top of the clamping-strips just described and holding the upper courses of blocks in position may be placed the roof, which may be a gable-roof, as shown in Fig. 16, in which the ridge is formed of cornerblocks, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and supported by rafters consisting of special strips or blocks. The roof-covering may consist of blocks. a, as shown on either side of Fig. 16, or of special roof-covering plates 1', as shown in the center of Fig. 16 and detailed in Figs. 19 to 21. These roof-covering plates 7' are made of any material, but preferably of perforated sheet metal with bent edges 25. The perforations in these plates rare so designed that shingles 'Lt, provided with hooks, as shown in Figs. 23 to 26, may be applied to the plates 7".

In Fig. 17 is shown the assembling of building-blocks to form an arched roof, and this may be accomplished by the use of T-bars, as shown in Figs. 14 and 15, and the clamping-strips, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13. The

covering in this case consists of the blocks a, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7.

' The plates '1' (shown in Figs. 16 and 19 to 21) may also be used in connection with plates 5, as shown in Figs. 18 and 20, to form a hip-roof, and the several plates 7' and s are held together by clamping-strips (shown in Figs. 12 and 13) and engaging the bent edges t of the plates 1' and 8.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Toy building-blocks representing wallsurfaces, doors, Windows, and roof-covering having tongues and grooves on their respective edges, in combination with T-shaped strips, Whose stem or tongue portion is adapted to fit the grooves of the said blocks and hold them in line, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. Toy building-blocks representing wallsurfaces, doors, Windows, and roof-covering having tongues and grooves, in combination with T-shaped strips, whose stem or tongue portion is adapted to fit the grooves of the said blocks and hold them in line, of channeled bars adapted to slide over the flange portion of the T-shaped strip and rigidly tie the same together, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. Toy building-blocks representing wallsurfaces, doors, windows, and roof-coverings having tongues and grooves, in combination with corner-blocks provided with hollow tongues adapted to fit the grooves of the said building-blocks and hold them in line vertically, and splice-plates fitting the said hollow tongues of the corner-blocks, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OTTO NENTWIG.

Witnesses HERMANN BARTSOH, ALBERT SCHENK. 

